Stories from Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Francis "Nadine" Moudy Allred, 89, passed away on May 20, 2015, in Mercy Hospital Springfield. She was born on Nov. 17, 1925, to Earl and Florence (Perkins) Moudy. She was preceded in death by her parents; three brothers, Lavern, Morris and Ervin Moudy; and one sister, Doris Ash...

Kip Allen Church, 51, of Cassville, passed away at his home on Tuesday, May 19, 2015. He was born on Dec. 30, 1963, in St. Albans, Ver., son of Allen and Carol (Levick) Church. He attended Cassville High School and was very athletic, coaching with Jim Luney, and Ty Brown for the Cassville Little League softball team for years. Kip was a life-long resident of Barry County where he worked as a fiber-optic cable inspector. On June 7, 2014, he was united in marriage to Lynn Gaches; she survives...

Darrell Wayne Cousins, 58, of Shell Knob, passed away Sunday, May 17, 2015, in his home. He was born Oct. 4, 1956, in Wichita, Kan., the son of Jimmie Byron and Flora Dean (Jones) Cousins. He received his education in Grove, Okla., where he graduated from high school. For several years, he worked in shipping and receiving for Aaron Heating and Cooling in Tulsa, Okla. Twenty years ago, he moved to Shell Knob to make his home. He was of the Pentecostal faith...

Sherry Jean Wingert Hickman, 52, of Wheaton, passed away in her home early Sunday morning. She was born in Kansas City, on Jan. 27, 1963. On May 31, 2008, she and Les Hickman were married; he survives. Additional survivors include: two brothers, Larry and Gary; two sisters, Karen and Sharron; two children, Denise Gilmore and her husband, Kevin, and Michael Easley and his wife, Linda; and two grandchildren...

Ruth Elizabeth Schopp Kitterman, 74, of Lowell, Ark., passed away on May 19, 2015. She was born on Dec. 17, 1940, in Seligman, to Milton Roy and Nora (Hudson) Schopp. She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Jerry Kitterman in 2011; brothers, Aaron, Ross, Wayne, and Robert Leroy Schopp; a sister, Catherine Little; mother- and father-in-law, Ralph and Bertha Kitterman; brothers- and sister-in-law, Ligah Pope, Thomas Fletcher, and Linda Kitterman...

The Little Joe Transplant Fund started in 1984, when Lige Frost came to me with the idea of raising $250,000 needed for his business neighbor's 6-year-old son to receive a heart and lung transplant due to physical conditions. The situation had been diagnosed at several children's hospitals. Before the procedure, it was required that funds were in place for the operation and the proper medications...

Nearly 4,500 students grades fifth through 12th, college students, and advisers, descended upon Springfield for the Missouri Future Business Leaders of America -- Phi Beta Lambda State Leadership Conference.

Exeter held the 2015 National Honor Society induction on April 15.

Members of Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) from Cassville Middle School celebrated acts of service to the community they coordinated and volunteered for during the 2014-2015 school year.

Cassville Intermediate School recognized its math olympiads.

Officials at Exeter School District have named Students of the Quarter for the third quarter of the academic year.

Cassville Intermediate School recognized third-grade character award winners in May.

The Soroptimist Club of Barry County awarded a $600 Dreams in Action Grant to the Barry County Youth Camp.

The Haven of the Ozarks Animal Sanctuary in Washburn recently received a donation of $174.53 from two sisters from Stella.

Cassville High School Summer School begins today and runs through June 19 from 7:50 a.m. to 2:50 p.m. each day. Breakfast is available in the middle school cafeteria from 7:15-7:45 a.m., and lunch is available from 11:25-11:50 a.m. Students would need only to attend Summer School until their credits are recovered. People with questions may contact the counselor's office at 417-847-4014...

First-grade students, from left, Kylee Crouch, Charlie Stoller, Ryan Sandlin and Hailey Lawrence have a blast in the potato sack race during field day festivities at Exeter Elementary.

Teachers, staff and parents wave goodbye to elementary children for the summer break on their day of school at Southwest Schools, an annual tradition at the school. Julia Kilmer/reporter@cassville-democrat.com.

Exeter Elementary School student Cason Antle, left, 7, carefully holds a baby chick he got to take home for summer break, while elementary teacher Autumn Palmer looks on.

"Kite Man" expert Don Iman showed Exeter Elementary School students Colter Woods and Hadley Davis-Moore how to make kites.

Two Monett residents were injured Wednesday afternoon in a wreck on Highway 39, three miles south of Jenkins, at about 4:05 p.m. According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol report, Tosha Norris, 25, of Monett, was driving a 2004 Dodge Durango northbound on highway 37 when the vehicle swerved to avoid an animal and struck a ditch...

Two teenagers and two children suffered minor injuries in a wreck on Sugar Creek Road, 10 miles west of Washburn, Tuesday at about 7:50 p.m. According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol report, Candace Glaze, 18, of Washburn, was driving a 1993 Buick Century eastbound on Sugar Creek Road when her vehicle slid off the roadway, struck an embankment and overturned...

A Shell Knob man was injured in a wreck at noon on Thursday on Farm Road 1262, six miles south of Shell Knob. According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol report, Stefan Daszkiewicz, 69, of Shell Knob, was driving a Case530 tractor northbound on Farm Road 1262 when his vehicle traveled off the right side of the roadway and overturned...

The Barry County Genealogical and Historical Society is turning over a new leaf and inviting the general public, researchers, historians and anyone interested in family and area history, to come see what the society is all about. Active since 1990, the society maintains marriage records, funeral home records, and miscellaneous records, some dating back to the 1840s, according to President Ted Roller...

With school out for summer, parents of young children need safe, affordable resources for child care while they go to work, and resources to find such care are readily available to ease the burden of searching. Child Care Aware of Missouri is an agency that will give a list of providers in the area, free of charge. They can be reached at 1-866-892-3228, or on the web at www.childcareaware.org...

Roaring River Health and Rehab in Cassville recently got a complete makeover. According to Administrator Russ Newby, the facility, which was built 30 years ago, needed a change. Newby collaborated with the owners, contractors and an interior decorator to implement the changes, which included new, different colors of paint throughout the building, new wood-laminate floors, new handrails, new carpet in the TV room, entryway and offices, new resident doors, new crown molding, updated landscaping and a new, modernized nurses' station.. ...

Wanda Smith, Director of Special Services with Southwest schools, will be retiring June 30 after 14 years of service at the district in special education and special services. Twenty-two years ago, she began her career, getting her bachelor's in elementary education from Southwest Missouri State University, with an emphasis in special education...

For anyone looking to get fit this summer, learn how to swim, dance or zumba, enjoy inexpensive family activities, play sports, sign up their children for healthy, fun day camps, or for a place to volunteer, look no further than your local Cassville YMCA...

The Cassville Area Chamber of Commerce recently interviewed local high school juniors who wanted to join the inaugural Tomorrow's Leaders Today program as seniors in 2015--2016. "I think whenever you are in that point in your life, it's really scary whenever an admissions person from college or a counselor looks at you and says, 'What are you going to do? What is your major going to be?'" said Mindi Artherton, chamber director. ...

Tate Joeckel, son of Curtis and Lindsey Joeckel of Exeter, enjoys getting to walk through the inside of an ambulance during the Barry County Ambulance District's annual BBQ to celebrate National EMS Appreciation week. Julia Kilmer/reporter@cassville-democrat.com...

The tennis courts at the Cassville city park located between Highway 248 and 7th street have been in need of resurfacing and repair due to age, wear and tear, and the city is addressing the issue. "There are a lot of cracks, the surface is uneven and the poles are worn out," said Steve Walensky, public works director for the city. "It's just been a long time with no maintenance."...

A new administrator and several new teachers will join the faculty at the Purdy school district in August. After 14 years of service, Bob Vice resigned as high school principal. Vice, who had served for three years previously as principal at Verona, resigned to take the job as special services director for the Southwest school district in Washburn...

Winners of the eighth annual Cassville Area Chamber of Commerce Tournament were recently announced Results are as follows: Closest to the pin on hole 6: Chuck Edie Closest to the pin on hole 11: Lewis Royer Longest drive on hole 2: Laith Hayward Championship Flight...

The Ozark 7 Conference released its all-conference award list on Thursday. Purdy, the conference champion, collected both the Player of the Year and Coach of the Year awards, along with four other first team accolades. The list is as follows: Player of the Year: Breanna Keeler, Purdy...

A 10-0 sectional loss to Marionville was not the way the Purdy baseball team wanted to end the season. However, a wound that opened in the first inning to the tune of a 3-0 Marionville lead, never stopped bleeding until a four-run fifth initiated the mercy rule on Monday...